Don't worry be Appy

Thursday 23 January sees the launch of a new personal safety mobile app designed to help people who find themselves in vulnerable situations.

Tap-it, is being launched by Enfield and Southwark Councils with the help of £60,000 funding from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), as part of their London Crime Prevention Fund.

Whether it's during an encounter with a stranger at a bar or whilst walking home alone at night, Tap-it makes it easier than ever to alert loved ones to a worrying situation.

The innovative app also uses GPS technology to with your exact location should you run into a troubled situation. It also contains features which allows users to tell their friends and family that they have arrived safely at a destination. Something which is useful for parents who want to give teenagers a bit of freedom while making sure they are safe.

Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing and Public Health, Cllr Christine Hamilton, said: “Tap-It not only helps keep people safe but it will help them feel safe as well. This clever app means you will know whether your loved ones are safe or if they feel threatened and need to be collected.

“It will revolutionise the way we think about public safety and how we let our friends and family know we are OK and because it is a one touch application it is extremely easy for both young and old to use.

“There are all sorts of ways its use can be tailored by residents, it can act as a reminder that the kids need picking up from after school clubs, elderly people can use it to let their children know they are safe and well and friends on a night out can use it to get back in touch if they get split up. The possibilities are endless and limited only by the user’s imagination.”

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Stephen Greenhalgh said: “Ensuring that all Londoners feel safe in our city is paramount, and apps like this that help to protect those who may feel more vulnerable is part of the work that we support.Our crime prevention fund is an important way for us to do this and collaborate with boroughs so that together we can tackle public safety on a local level.

The application, designed as the perfect personal safety companion, is pre-programmed with four messages that can be instantly sent to a preselected group of contacts at the touch of a button, which makes it perfect for people who are unused to using high tech equipment.

The messages are:

• Check in – to let friends and family know that you have arrived at your destination safely • Collect me – to send a 'come and get me' message to a network of friends • Interrupt me – tap to let friends call back for a reason to excuse yourself • Safe locations – tap to find out the nearest safe havens it you are feeling vulnerable and want to go somewhere for help.

By selecting the ‘collect me’ or interrupt me’ message Tap-it also sends a follow up message to a nominated member of your network 24 hours later to let them know you’re ok. The application also contains details of local services and helplines where users can get advice and guidance on a range of subjects such as domestic violence and personal safety.

Tap-It is designed by Xantura and is available to download for free from Android and Apple stores. To download simply search for "Tap-it safety app" in the app store.

More details of how tap-it works can be found by watching a this video or visiting the Tap-It website.